A two-dimensional analysis of the bearing capacity of footings near slopes

Abstract

[Abstract]: The problem of a footing near slope is encountered regularly in engineering practice, with some noteworthy examples being bridge abutments and the basement construction of high rise buildings. This study demonstrates the use of a computer model to analyse the interaction between the slope and the footing. FLAC (Fast Lagrangian Analysis of Continua) is a program which uses explicit finite difference techniques to solve the footing near slope problem and its effectiveness will be demonstrated in this study. Design charts will be presented using non-dimensional parameters to highlight what effects material and geometrical properties have on the normalised bearing capacity of a footing near slope. The parameters comprehensively analysed in this study include dimensionless strength ratio, soil friction angle, slope angle, slope height ratio and footing distance ratio. Initial studies into further footing near slope conditions will also be presented in this paper. This include dimensionless surcharge loading and dilation angle. These parameters will be investigated using a two-dimensional model within the FLAC program.